Leftover loaves and kinda-stale slices: every kitchen’s got ‘em. And while you can freshen up stale bread in a few simple steps, it’s actually the perfect candidate for a number of delicious upgrades. Use it to make budget-friendly breadcrumbs, soak it in custard for bread pudding or strata or make the absolute best French toast. Whatever you decide, you’ll be glad you didn’t toss those crusty slices. Got crust trimmings? Those are great, too. You can use them to make these crunchy breadsticks. We love snacking on them with dips or serving them up alongside soups and salads — but the possibilities are almost endless.

Ina utilities leftover bread to help bind her 5-star fish cakes. She turns the slices into homemade, toasted breadcrumbs first — but we promise the extra steps and little bit of time are worth it!

A blend of three cheeses delivers a punch of flavor in this creamy favorite. The real star of the show, though, is the toasted breadcrumb topping. It gives the finished mac a nice, crunchy texture contrast.

Homemade croutons are incredibly simple and quick to make, thanks to the air fryer! Plus, day-old bread works just as well as fresh. We added a touch of dried oregano and granulated garlic for a boost of flavor to complement a variety of salads, soups and other dishes. Feel free to remove the oil and seasonings altogether and follow the same method to dry out bread for stuffing, dressing, bread pudding and more--in less than half the time it would take with an oven.